God of all silence and noise, In our quiet sanctuaries, where a myriad of sounds have been absent for nearly a year, may the silence hold the stories of our faith communities until our return. May the Spirit of stillness pray for the ones who are lonely and the ones who are sick. May your… Read More
worship words for 24 January 2021
It can be hard to find liturgical language that meets the particular challenges of January 2021, can’t it — on the one hand, there is some comfort in the words we have used for centuries. On the other hand, those word imply physical gathering together in the same room, and often seem to gloss over… Read More
Sunday Prayer: Rabbi, teach us
Rabbi,
you are the one about whom Moses and the prophets wrote.
Teach us to follow where you lead.
Teach us the spirit of the law.
Teach us how to speak truth to power, … Read More
Saturday Prayer, January 16, 2021
( reflecting 1 Samuel 3) God, you who want to wake me,shake me, and just have someone to talk toin the middle of the night, I pray gratitude for the Eli’sin my life, the so-imperfect people,who were poor parents,or poor judges,who made mistake after mistake,avoided naming injustice,missed God-moments in their own lives. Yet they were… Read More
Friday Prayer
A Blessing for Those with Stress-Induced Lethargy In the muscle-tensed, frenetic exhaustion of your blank stare, May you know that you are not alone. In the numb doom-scrolling hours, May your senses be drawn to peace and joy. In the overwhelm of grief and frustration, May you be anchored in the truth of eternal love.… Read More
11th Hour Preacher Party
Hello, preaching friends! Some of you have already, or are, recording a sermon. Some of you are still in the midst of preparation. How can we help? Ideas? Adaptations? Children’s Time? Share this preaching moment here. Monica Thompson Smith is a Presbyterian Church (USA) minister, serving as stated supply pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Luling,… Read More
The Pastoral is Political: When the System Pushes Back
I am delighted to yield this space today to the Rev. Casey Wait, pastor, storyteller, and painter. She currently serves as pastor of John Calvin Presbyterian Church in Annandale, Virginia. You can reach Casey on Twitter @caseyfitzgerald or by email revcasey@johncalvinpres.org. You can see her paintings by visiting http://www.caseypaints.com or listen to her tell stories… Read More
Tuesday Prayer
Spirit of Warmth, As chills reign in the hearts of many,we reach for our spiritual blankets to remove the frigidness surrounding us. Oh how so many words and images and actionshave built a wall of ice between us and our neighbors! Yet there is no ice that you, God, can’t melt.For you are our Great… Read More
Sunday Prayer: come, thou fount of every blessing
Come, thou fount of every blessing,
you have called us to repentance,
hearing our confessions with a heart of grace.
Lead us out of the wilderness
and into the lifegiving waters, … Read More
Friday Prayer
In John 5, Jesus ask a man, who has been blind for 38 years, if he wants to be made well. This is not a question merely about having vision restored, but a question about the desire to have a completely different life- engaged and participating in community in a way that has been denied… Read More
